Goat Rodeo:
A chaotic situation, often one that involves several people [or organizations], each with a different agenda/vision/perception of what’s going on; a situation that is very difficult, despite energy and efforts, to instill any sense or order into.
I don’t think there’s a much more apt expression for what is happening right now in the larger FATCA / FBAR / CBT universe. The calm-before-the-storm waiting game of the last few years is now clearly giving way to frenzied activity and veritable verbal warfare across multiple organizations and web sites around the globe. The big-picture dots of this reality have not yet been fully connected into a single post and thread, so that’s why I’m starting this one.
In no particular order, here are some of the latest developments to consider:
1. The ADCS summary trial is poised to begin next Tuesday, August 4th. Even now, the Canadian Government is wheeling out their propaganda machine to fight our lawsuit in the court of public opinion as well as in the Federal Court in Vancouver. One of the first targets of their inevitable smear campaign is our legal counsel, Joe Arvay, via a Conservative Party soapbox piece published in today’s Globe and Mail. And, as I write this, news that the Canadian federal government, “…may seek an adjournment of the summary trial scheduled to be heard on August 4-5,” as reported in the ADCS thread.
2. Mirroring the Canadian Charter Challenge is last week’s filing of the James Bopp / Republicans Overseas Action FATCA lawsuit whose seven plaintiffs include Rand Paul and Stephen Kish.
3. Republicans Overseas reports on the US Federal government response to their motion to expedite a Preliminary Injunction:
On July 22, Republicans Overseas Action and the seven Plaintiffs asked the District Court to expedite the consideration of the request for a preliminary injunction to give the Court adequate time decide the matter before some of Plaintiffs’ sensitive account information is reported to the IRS at the end of September. The government’s response is to say that shortening its response time would be too burdensome and that it needs even more time to respond. Normally, they would have 21 days to respond, and we’ve only asked to have that time shortened by a week. The federal government instead has asked the Court to delay the suit and give them 60 days to respond to Plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction—three times the amount of time to which it would normally be entitled! The truth is that the Plaintiffs are the ones playing catch up in this case. The government has had nearly five years to consider the constitutional underpinnings of FATCA. They should not be allowed to complain now that they need more time to understand it when American citizens’ constitutional rights are being pushed aside.
4. Democrats Abroad has published a couple of trash-talk pieces here and here condemning the Bopp/RO suit. So far, every one of the 22 comments on the DA Switzerland piece has been uniformly opposed to DA’s positions on FATCA and Same Country Safe Harbor (SCSH), which has also been referred to as SCE (Same Country Exception).
5. Democrats Abroad has doubled-down on its SCSH campaign by re-igniting its FATCA Reform 1000 letters sign-on campaign, apparently completely ignoring the frustration of its dwindling constituency, as exemplified by one of the comments:
Most of us will not support this. Same country exemption is a diversion from the issue. It will enable you to try and tell people that you have done something. 90% of us see right through this and want nothing to do with this. Full repeal of FATCA and CBT is what needs to be done. Anything else is a distraction. Time for the democrats to join the rest of the world and use the world standard tax practice of residence based taxation (RBT). Why does the party of “progress” want to hold onto an outdated, civil war era tax policy that all other countries have abandoned?
6. Republicans Overseas is also pushing back on SCSH and the letter writing campaign:
By delaying the Motion for Preliminary Injunction, it gives DA time to push for the Same Country Safe Harbor (SCSH) exemption
DA is asking expats to write 1,000 letter to Congress to support SCSH by pressuring Treasury Secretary Lacob Lew and IRS Commissioner John Koskinen to selectively enforce FATCA based on expats’ accounts in one foreign country or more than one foreign country. DA knows better than that. This is lawlessness because neither Secretary Lew nor Commissioner Koskinen have the constitutional authority to amend or selectively enforce FATCA without a vote in Congress to amend the law.
7. Meanwhile, other organizations have apparently chosen to hitch their wagons to the increasingly-maligned Safe Harbor campaign, including FAWCO (Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas) and AARO (Association of Americans Resident Overseas), though the latter has posted a position paper calling for the replacement of CBT with RBT. American Citizens Abroad has remained rather low-key, focussing on its own, rather convoluted RBT proposal and partnering with the University of Nevada via its ACA Global Foundation on a research study about the effects of FATCA on American citizens living abroad. Other groups, such as American Expatriates, appear to be inundated by a confusing and often contradictory array of opinions from across the political spectrum, though the same thing can often be said of IBS.
8. The Trump factor. Will his brand of demagoguery help or hurt our cause? Here is a quote from his most recent advertorial for his own book:
America has become the world’s “dumping ground” for everyone else’s problems. A “whipping boy” for other countries as we sink further and further into the debt of no return.
Trump warns of so-called leaders willingly giving our jobs to foreign hands and further crippling the economy. Literally taking future opportunities from our children and grandchildren.
Meanwhile those same leaders feed America’s looming debt beast — an $18 trillion tab — with foreign aid and terrible negotiations.
And what then do we get for extending our wealth to help a legion of other countries? Lack of respect. We’re the “laughingstock” of the world.
These are just a few examples of how fragmented and confusing the landscape has become, and just how far away US Persons are from achieving any kind of consensus about how best to fight back against FATCA and CBT. The dominant “camps” now emerging are, predictably, identifiable largely along traditional party lines, but with some important exceptions. On one hand, “Safe Harbor” has crystallized into the Democrats singular take-it-or-leave-it proposition. On the other hand are the lawsuits in both the US and Canada, initiated by an increasingly diverse mix of Republicans, disaffected Democrats and untold numbers of other supporters who have no allegiance to any US party. In the case of Canada, our battle is dishearteningly with our own Canadian government, which has lowered itself to becoming a mere proxy for the US. Nevertheless, when it comes to the issues of FATCA, FBAR and CBT, it would appear that the most dominant fault line now starkly divides an increasingly out-of-touch and disingenuous Democratic Party with, literally, everyone else on the planet.
A Canadian expresses anti-ADCS sentiment on the ADCS Facebook page. Apparently real Canadians don’t need any help in defending Canadian sovereignty.
Walter Benstead: You come across as if you speak for all Canadians . The Canadians I know can stand up to Americans or any others and don’t need your flag waving.
Like · Reply · 1 · July 25 at 7:32pm
My reply to Walter:
Walter, if what you say were true, there would have been no motivation for this group to even exist. Do you think the individuals who make up this organization are suing the Canadian government for shits and giggles? Did you know that they have raised almost 500,000 to pay for a lawsuit against the Canadian government? Did you know that people who do not identify in any way as American (for example born in USA to Canadian parents but returned back HOME to Canada as young children) are having the details of their private CANADIAN bank accounts handed over to the IRS via the CRA? Did you know that these Canadians deemed ‘US persons’ according to US law, face bankrupting penalties by the American government for not self-reporting on an annual basis, their Canadian bank accounts to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (in the USA) simply because they were born on US soil and thus ‘owned’ by the US government according to the US government?
Kathy Shaw (a fellow Canadian I presume) had this to say (notice her reference to “US citizens living in Canada”, a particular pet peeve of mine…lol):
“US citizens in Canada have always been expected to still fill out the US tax forms even though they don’t have to pay any taxes to the US (so long as they pay in Canada)”
That’s OK, Ms. Green set her straight!
And so did “Laura Wilson”. Hey “Laura”, maybe when we get together this weekend, we can drink wine and have some fun beating up the anti-Canadians on the internet. 🙂
The DA are making a hard push for us to write in our support for SCSH (or SCE, whatever). They issued this letter:
Dear Democrats Abroad Members,
We are pleased to report that after 2 days our FATCA grassroots campaign has yielded an excellent response! We asked you to message members of Congress asking them to sign the Congressional letter to the Treasury Secretary and IRS Commissioner in support of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) Same Country Safe Harbor reform.
More than 3,000 of you have participated! Nearly 10,000 messages have been sent to your Representatives and Senators asking them to sign the letter and throw their support behind this common sense reform to provide relief to Americans abroad from the burden of FATCA reporting.
Please help us send that number soaring towards 20,000 messages! We need your help URGENTLY!
The sponsors of the letter (Rep Maloney and Rep Mulvaney) anticipate “closing it off” to signatures at the end of this legislative session – that’s the end of this week! We need to demonstrate that there is growing momentum in Congressional support for this reform in order to keep the letter open to more signatures. The more signatures on the letter the louder the call coming from Congress for Treasury and the IRS to act.
If you have not yet participated, please send your message to your Senators and Representative RIGHT NOW, reminding them about the letter and asking them to sign it.
It’s easy.
1) Click here and enter your U.S. voting address to compose a message to your elected representatives
2) Either copy and paste (or perhaps personalize) the suggested message below or write your own polite and succinct message urging your members of Congress to sign the letter in support of the Same Country Safe Harbor that Representative Maloney and Representative Mulvaney are circulating.
3) Let us know who you have contacted by filling out this very very short questionnaire HERE so that we can amplify your voice and continue to put pressure on Congress. (We’re in the process of calling all the contacted representatives, so knowing who yours is makes sure yours gets a call too!)
We have collected feedback from campaign participants and have prepared a few notes that may be of assistance if you should have any problems using Democracy.io, the Congressional messaging system for this campaign. Please see “Troubleshooting” at the very end of this email. You might also be interested in the Wall Street Journal Opinion piece that just came out about the Safe Harbor campaign.
Thank you for participating in this important initiative to fix FATCA. If you’d like to further support FATCA reform efforts, please make a contribution by clicking here.
###
SUGGESTED MESSAGE ENCOURAGING ELECTED OFFICIALS TO SIGN THE CONGRESSIONAL LETTER TO TREASURY AND THE IRS IN SUPPORT OF THE FATCA SAME COUNTRY SAFE HARBOR FOR AMERICANS ABROAD
SUBJECT: Congressional Sign-On Letter supporting the FATCA Safe Harbor for Americans Abroad or Tax
I live in [country of residence] and I vote in [state] District [number if known].
Americans living outside of the United States like me are bearing the unintended, but serious consequences of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA). The law was, of course, intended to discourage and apprehend US citizens hiding untaxed earnings in foreign financial accounts. The reporting requirements FATCA imposes on us and on our banks were never intended to impact ordinary, middle class, law-abiding Americans abroad. However, due to FATCA our financial accounts are being closed, our relationships with our non-American spouses are under strain, some of us are being denied roles, promotions or partnership in business and some are planning or contemplating renouncing their US citizenship. Some have already done so.
We need help urgently.
The Democratic and Republican leaders of the Americans Abroad Caucus, Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Representative Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), have drafted a letter to the Treasury and IRS in support of a reform to the FATCA implementation rules which would resolve the problems that FATCA causes for 90 percent of Americans abroad: the FATCA Same Country Safe Harbor for Americans abroad.
Representative Maloney and Representative Mulvaney are circulating the letter on Capitol Hill. I strongly urge you to join your Congressional colleagues in signing this letter in support of the FATCA Same Country Safe Harbor. There are 8.7 million Americans living outside the US. We vote, we file tax returns and we are calling on you to help us by fixing this law that has so badly impacted our financial and personal lives.
Please sign the Congressional letter to Secretary Lew and Commissioner Koskinen in support of the FATCA Same Country Safe Harbor for Americans abroad. Please contact Natalee Binkholder (Natalee.Binkholder@mail.house.gov ) in Rep Mulvaney’s office or Max Whitcomb (Max.Whitcomb@mail.house.gov) in Rep Maloney’s office with any questions and to deliver your support.
Thank you for your help and thank you for serving.
Regards,
[Name]
[City], ]Country]
TROUBLESHOOTING
This advice on using Democracy.io is drawn from the experience of campaign participants over the last 2 days. It may be helpful for you in “troubleshooting” if you should have any difficulty using the system:
A very small percentage of participants have reported that the Democracy.io system does not recognise their US Voting Address. We have reported these to the Democracy.io administrators.
The system needs your US Voting Address to find your members of Congress to message. If Democracy.io can’t find your US Voting address and, therefore, cannot send your message then please go to the websites of your elected representatives (Representative and 2 Senators) and use the email messaging function to send your message directly. All members of Congress have a messaging system too, so that constituents may contact them.
Your US Voting Address is the address where you last lived prior to relocating outside of the USA. This question was forwarded to us several times.
Democracy.io may also ask for your US telephone number. Many members of Congress require that messages from constituents include a US telephone number and the system will not send the message if the sender does not provide all the information requested by the member of Congress.
I followed-up on the initiative with my letter to my (all-Republican) Senators and Representative:
I and my family live outside of the United States and I vote in Georgia.
American families living outside of the United States are bearing the serious consequences of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) that was quietly slipped into the HIRE act by the Democrats in 2010 and signed into law without due consideration by the public and the Congress.
The law was ill-conceived, mean spirited and has had a devastating impact on families all over the world. The Democratic party gave Congress almost no opportunity to consider this law. When the public and our representatives learned about it, the Democrats received volumes of input to warn that this law is an extreme over-reach, Orwellian and Unamerican.
As predicted, the implementation of this law has destroyed the lives and livelihoods of ordinary, middle class, families abroad. We have lost bank accounts, mortgages and any possibility to save for retirement. We have lost our jobs and have been kicked out of partnerships. We cannot establish simple apartment rental contracts and there is growing pressure from the foreign governments to make American families bear all of the costs to support this heavy-handed regulation.
Nearly every American abroad I know, has either already renounced their US citizenship or are actively preparing to do so. Each year, we see new records for renunciations and I can tell you that the decision to renounce is drastic and wrenching, but entirely necessary if you love your family.
We need help urgently.
Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Representative Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), have drafted a letter to the Treasury and IRS in support of a reform to the FATCA implementation rules called “the FATCA Same Country Safe Harbor for Americans abroad.”
This is a bad idea.
Senator Rand Paul and the Republicans Overseas have already launched a law suit against the Obama administration that challenges the legality of FATCA and the resultant tax treaties to support it that were mis-represented as intergovernmental agreements in order for the Administration to bypass the Congress.
The Same Country Safe Harbor rule is morally wrong because:
1) This rule will not have any benefit to American Families abroad as it does not remove the wider issues around FATCA. There are no banks who will suddenly return to servicing the now un-banked families impacted by FATCA,
2) This rule will not remove the heavy reporting requirements that have resulted in people being removed from partnerships.
3) The same-country exception is arbitrary when you consider families living in the EU where it is common to have bank accounts in other EU countries to support businesses or residences. Many families live on one side of a border and work on another side.
4) This would take pressure off of the Democrats to do the right thing, which is to support Residence Based Taxation and reduce eliminate this heavy, dangerous and anti-American regulation.
5) It distracts attention away from the illegal IGA’s during an election cycle and only after the Democrats realized the potential danger this issues brings to their party. The public need to know what has happened instead of sweeping it under the carpet.
Representative Maloney and Representative Mulvaney are circulating the letter on Capitol Hill. I strongly urge you to join your Congressional colleagues in OPPOSING this letter for FATCA Same Country Safe Harbor.
Please give your support to the brave efforts by the Republican Overseas and Senator Rand Paul to completely overturn this bad law.
Please express to Secretary Lew and Commissioner Koskinen your opposition of the FATCA Same Country Safe Harbor for Americans abroad. Please contact Natalee Binkholder (Natalee.Binkholder@mail.house.gov ) in Rep Mulvaney’s office or Max Whitcomb (Max.Whitcomb@mail.house.gov) in Rep Maloney’s office with any questions and to deliver your concerns.
Perhaps too long…
In any case, I’m disgusted with the sock-puppet parade while we suffer real harm.
I, frankly, would be embarrassed to support SCSH while the RO are sticking their necks out for us to do the right thing. It’s like sharing a foxhole with soldier who is tying a white flag to his bayonet. This is divide and conquer, just like FEIE.
RE:
contact Natalee Binkholder (Natalee.Binkholder@mail.house.gov ) in Rep Mulvaney’s office or Max Whitcomb (Max.Whitcomb@mail.house.gov) in Rep Maloney’s office with any questions and to deliver your support.
In conversation with Jonathon he stated do not underestimate the influence of the workers involved in Washington. I guess in some ways if we can “let them feel our pain” we may all get some gain,
As I have why not ALL of us thank them AND include your opinions regarding resolving the real issues
@ Orwell
I am getting even more concerned about this pushy letter campaign the DA concocted. I wish these letter writers would look at the details of this SCE proposal. If they have even an iota of analytical skills they’d realize that SCE is a diversion to throw everyone off the scent of REAL reform — repeal of FATCA, abolishment of CBT. WhiteKat has said “too little, too late” but I think it’s worse than that — too little for even the too few it wants to appear to “help”.
A committee to study the problems of Americans overseas (H.R. 3078) however does sound promising. It could, if not politicized too much, become a place to air the dirty laundry of CBT and start the process of redress.
“President Obama has either actively supported or done nothing to avoid creating a situation in which his own mother would have […]”
Obama himself should have been in trouble too. His stepfather should have opened a bank account for Obama, and Obama’s failure to file FBARs should have got his own ass kicked — and some people feel he should have lost his right to vote.
@ Orwell
Now THAT’S the letter (or something similar) I’d like to see sent thousands of times to US reps. Well done!
@ Orwell
Right on, Orwell, especially your closing argument that this is just another Machiavellian divide-and-conquer strategy by the Democrats in general, and Democrats Abroad in particular (ok, so I’m expanding on your thesis a bit). Unfortunately, this cynical PR stunt is already having deleterious effects on our wider campaign to repeal FATCA, FBAR and CBT. And now we can add SCE to that crucial list of things that must be destroyed. Time for a second pass on my own post, since events are moving so swiftly now:
The handful of Republicans in the Democrats-dominated Americans Abroad Caucus appear to be suffering from Stockholm syndrome. The Republicans Overseas / James Bopp effort is now having to exert precious time and energy weaning them away from that toxic SCE kool-aid and having to defend themselves from legitimate charges that Republicans are not yet speaking with one voice about their opposition to FATCA, FBAR and CBT. And SCE.
John William Waterhouse: Ulysses and the Sirens, 1891
Long-standing overseas groups that really should have known better have also tragically fallen under the siren spell of SCE, including American Citizens Abroad, AARO and FAWCO. They too will need varying degrees of deprogramming and positive support to come back to their senses, but it shouldn’t be too difficult since they also claim to support RBT. The inherent contradictions between that position and their stated support for SCE should eventually make them realize that they’ve been played for fools by the Democrats. We’ll have them back on-side well before the final inning, I predict.
Democrats Abroad is irredeemably dysfunctional and broken. Yet, like a wounded animal, it remains unpredictable and dangerous and continues to lash-out. Normally, euthanasia would be called for, and would be the kind and ethical thing to administer. In this case, they won’t last long enough for it to matter, and whatever pain they experience between now and their inevitable demise will be richly deserved. Schadenfreude is an entirely appropriate response to DA’s despicable behaviour over the last four years. Good riddance.
As I stated over at Republicans Overseas, SCE is nothing more than a problem to the solution.
My opinion (and it is just my opinion informed by my program).
“It doesn’t matter what they do, it only matters what I do.” Other people have different approaches to the same problem/issue. If I don’t agree with their approach and I will say so and then I let it go and go ahead and do what I think is right. I will then concentrate on and support the approach which I think is best. For me that translates into support for ADCS and FATCA Legal Action.
At that point I’m not going to give the other approaches too much of my time and mental energy. It’s terrible for my sobriety to constantly be looking at (and getting very resentful about) people and things over which I have no control. DA will do what they will do and we’ll see what happens. They might get some traction, they might not. We’ll see. If their approach does not work, they are going to crash and burn HARD. Hopes have been raised before about working through the US political arena to get change and every time it hasn’t worked. So we’ll see.
The lawsuits are NOT about courting the genreal public’s opinions about FATCA. Yes, it would be nice to have more support but it isn’t necessary. The funds for the lawsuit come from us – those who think this is the right thing to do and so far those funds have come when they were needed.
I see the court cases taking us out of the political and into another place entirely. A place where one law (FATCA) is going to be examined against the highest law (charters and constitutions). And now that this has happened, John Q Public’s opinion doesn’t matter very much. Even if by some miracle SCE does get some traction, it still doesn’t answer the question of whether or not FATCA violates the highest law of two lands. That will be decided by the courts and by judges for whom 50,000 letters in support (or against) sent to politicans is irrelevant. (And how scary this must be for organizations who base their relevance on access to those same politicans and bureaucrats because these lawsuits are an end run around them to a place where their access doesn’t matter.)
What is within my control is expressing my support for ADCS and FATCA Legal Action and backing that up with donations. Do something positive I tell myself and don’t get in a place where my resentment (and I have a lot of that toward DA that I’m trying to get rid of) takes up too much space in my head. They will do what they will do and I will do what I think is right. Every minute I find myself paying way too much attention to what other people are doing (and why they are wrong) is a minute that I could have spent writing an article, responding to one or checking the state of my finances to see if I can make another donation.
My .02.
@Victoria
With all due respect, for I do respect you greatly, are you gently suggesting that the court of public opinion has no role to play in this unfolding story? That the lawsuits are the only things we should be putting our efforts into? That public debate and holding people publicly accountable for their ideologies and the consequences of their actions is distasteful, and to be avoided in polite society?
You may be right, if indeed the practice of that thing we used to call democracy has devolved to the point where absolutely nothing can be achieved except by launching lawsuits and appealing to the highest courts in the land, hoping that their wisdom will be merciful and prevail over the ignorance and poor judgement of elected officials and the citizens they’re supposed to serve.
I prefer to hedge my bets and do both, to the fullest extent that my limited time and resources will allow. I participate in these blogs, try to hold the feet of our various so-called leaders to the fire, as necessary, and yes – contribute as much as possible to these essential legal actions. All the above.
By the way, it’s ok to sometimes be angry and resentful about what is happening to all of us and to express it fully and openly. There are indeed many out there who are not our friends, and they do play for keeps. Make no mistake about how noisy and messy our struggle will be – this is just the beginning.
But here, we are friends, and we support each other. And we’re going to need all the mutual support we can give, or get.
OK, way off topic, but Deckard, where did you get that great goats in a tree picture?
@PierreD
https://www.google.ca/search?q=goat+rodeo&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CDAQsARqFQoTCKHIl6-khMcCFdV_kgodJekCHA&biw=2047&bih=988
Let’s game this one out. Let’s suppose DA gets their Same Country Safe Harbor enacted. And let’s suppose that it even pulls the rug out from under the ADCS and Bopp lawsuits. What happens then? (Besides DA smugly gloating.) Does that calm everyone down, and put the genie back into the bottle?
I don’t think so. I think we have achieved critical mass, and this movement will not be stopped until RBT has been achieved, one way or another. DA can try to manage and minimize this thing, but the more they do so, the more it will blow up in their faces. They are going to have to get on board eventually (probably right after the Supreme Court case on RBT that decides in our favor…). Meanwhile, they are mobilizing people to speak up, and I predict those people are not going to find themselves satisfied with such half-measures (or really quarter-measures) as SCSH. DA are painting themselves into a corner. Let them paint away.
@Bubblebustin
Another one for you since PierreD sent me back to the well:
@Deckard, Supporting each other is absolutely where I’m at. That’s why I love Brock. 🙂
To understand why I take this position and why I really have to watch the resentment and anger is that I’m a recovering alcoholic. I can’t do resentment and anger, If I head down that path, I will drink again and I will die. Sometimes I cannot even listen (or read about) other people’s resentment and anger because it just fuels mine and takes me to a dark dark place. For me that is the path to total self-destruction. Sometimes I lose it and I go there anyway or I compulsively read other people venting – once I realize it I have to remove myself from the situation or talk to my sponsor or double the number of meetings I go to.
I have been sober now for over 4 years. There is NOTHING more important than my sobriety – not my children, my spouse, this cause. Nothing. If I come to point where I am wallowing in resentment and anger and as a result I get closer to a drink, then I will have to give up this cause. Because if I drink I will die. The choice for me really is that stark – it really is that simple.
The big book says that entirely justified self-righteous anger is best left to those who can handle it. I am an alkie and not one of those people.
@Deckard1138
Love it!
@Victoria
I admire your fortitude and resilience. “One drink’s too many – a thousand’s not enough”.
You’re one strong woman, Victoria. I admire all you do and have done in so many areas — so openly, honestly, with all your being.
@Victoria
Thank you for such a profoundly real, brave and inspiring reply. It’s entirely not the one I was expecting, but I respect you even more for making it.
As difficult as the challenges are that we’re facing together, no challenge can be as great for you as the one you face inside. You are absolutely right to put your well-being first when everything else in your life hinges on it.
Many others here have talked about their own troubles and demons, and I know we’ve all seen some of these come out at night to play on these very pages. It’s not always pretty, but I’d like to think that we do try to understand and cut each other some badly-needed slack, because we’re all hurting inside in ways we never imagined we would, and bearing burdens we never anticipated.
Still, collectively, I think we have enough people here who, thank goodness, don’t mind doing some of the heavier lifting. We’re all here to contribute whatever way we can and to help each other along this winding path. Thanks again for sharing.
@Deckard1138, I echo that last.
This advice quoted from the Democrats Abroad just unintentionally illustrates that we have no real representation: “…Democracy.io may also ask for your US telephone number. Many members of Congress require that messages from constituents include a US telephone number and the system will not send the message if the sender does not provide all the information requested by the member of Congress…”
Right, “Many members of Congress require that messages from constituents include a US telephone number and the system will not send the message if the sender does not provide all the information requested by the member of Congress.”
Exactly.
Sign in on Google Voice FREE US telephone number
Android download Grooveip Lite FREE US telephone number
@badger
Their entire paragraph could be summed-up in one line:
“Members of Congress do not get the message no matter how much information they are provided.”